February 04, 2008

Perry Work Report for the Week of February 4, 2008

The Perry Work Report is protected by Canadian copyright law and should not be reproduced or forwarded without permission. The PWR is produced and edited by Bruce Pearce and Vicki Skelton, and is sent from a new email address, cirhr.library@utoronto.ca. We welcome our readers' questions and suggestions.

Human Rights and Accommodation Conference: Lancaster House and the Centre for Industrial Relations and Human Resources, University of Toronto annual conference on Tuesday, April 1, 2008 and Wednesday, April 2, 2008, at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, South Building, 222 Bremner Blvd., Toronto, Ontario.

British Columbia Health Care Workers Reach Tentative Settlement: The FBA (Facilities Bargaining Association), representing approximately 40,000 unionized health care workers in British Columbia, has reached an agreement with the provincial government and the Health Employers Association of B.C. The proposed settlement comes after the June 2007 landmark decision by the Supreme Court of Canada which ruled portions of Bill 29, the Health and Social Services Delivery Improvement Act, unconstitutional and ordered the provincial government to negotiate with the affected unions. The new tentative settlement, yet to be voted upon by union members, includes a $75 million compensation and training package for affected workers.

Equity Bargaining/Bargaining Equity: The Centre for Research on Work, York University, has released a paper on equity bargaining and bargaining equity in relationship to labour market shifts, state restructuring, human rights legislation, and collective bargaining. The study draws upon material from the European Union countries, the United States, Australia and Canada.

Link: Equity Bargaining/Bargaining Equity, by Linda Briskin, Restructuring Work and Labour in the New Economy Working Paper Series, Centre for Research on Work and Society, York University, January 2006 (124 pages, PDF)

Management of Employee Pension Funds: The Supreme Court of Canada has granted leave to appeal in the Elaine Nolan, et al. v. Kerry (Canada) Inc. et al., case. The case deals with the use of pension plan surpluses and the security of pension funds when companies reorganize.

Corporate Takeovers in Canada : A recent Conference Board of Canada report explores the issue of “hollowing out” of corporate Canada. The paper looks at mergers and acquisition activity in 200 of Canada's largest companies between 1990 and 2007.

Links: “Hollowing Out”—Myth and Reality: Corporate Takeovers in an Age of Transformation, by Michael Bloom, Michael Grant, Conference Board of Canada, January 2008:

Executive Summary (31 pages, PDF): available for downloading by the University of Toronto community by signing into Conference Board e-library.

Full Report (104 pages, PDF): available for downloading by the University of Toronto community by signing into Conference Board e-library.

Global Compensation and Benefit Strategies: Members of the Conference Board's International and European Compensation and Benefits Councils met to develop strategies on global rewards, long-term incentives, and expatriate pension options. Attracting and retaining talent in China, Eastern Europe, and the Middle East is also discussed.

Link: Compensation & Benefits: A Global View, by Diane Palframan, Executive Action Report, Conference Board, New York, January 2008: available for downloading by the University of Toronto community by signing into Conference Board e-library.

Global Human Capital Study: IBM interviewed over 400 HR executives at organizations from 40 countries to find out how they were addressing current workforce challenges. The study concluded that: “an adaptable workforce is a precursor for future organizational success. The key to building that kind of workforce lies with the leadership of the organization, facilitated in large part by HR.”

Education and Earnings: A recent research report from Human Resources and Social Development Canada used data from the Youth in Transition Survey to look at the effect of educational attainment on labour market earnings and employment.

Link: Education and Early Labour Market Outcomes in Canada Report, by Jorgen Hansen, Learning Policy Directorate, Strategic Policy and Research, Human Resources and Social Development Canada, December 2007, released January 2008, (58 pages, PDF )

Canada 's Demographic Future: A report from the Canada West Foundation looks at the rapid urbanization in Western Canada and concludes that the West is now as urban as other regions of the country.

Links: Big Cities and the Census: The Growing Importance of Big Cities on the Demographic Landscape, (22 pages, PDF ); New Release

Business Leaders in Western Canada Look the Economy: Fifty-two of western Canada's next generation of entrepreneurs and business leaders -- all under 40 years of age -- met in Calgary recently to discuss the factors they believe will shape the economy over the next 10 to 20 years.

Links: Generating wealth: A Summit for Western Canada's Next Generation of Business Leaders: Summary Report, by Jason Bristow, Canada West Foundation, January 2008 (12 pages, PDF); News Release

Cities and Growth: A recent paper from Statistics Canada examines the presence of “knowledge spillovers” that affect the adoption of advanced technologies in the Canadian manufacturing sector. Plants that adopt advanced manufacturing technologies often cluster together in local regions.

Urban Economies and Productivity: A recent paper from Statistics Canada measured how the changing nature of urban economies over the 1990s affected the productivity performance of plants. In doing so, it provides a stronger foundation for claims that productivity growth and urban economies are linked.

International Trade Agreements and Labour Issues: This study, by the U.S. International Trade Commission, examines the relationship between the changing patterns of international trade and their effect on labour markets. Included are discussions of how wage levels and legislation affect the location of production and the effects of the cross-border movement of workers.

International Labor Comparisons: The U. S. Department of Labor has released its annual comparison of the labor market situation in selected countries. Included are the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Asian-Pacific and European countries.

Link: A Chartbook of International Labor Comparisons: the Americas, Asia-Pacific, Europe, U.S. Department of Labour, January 2008 (73 pages, PDF)

The Ageing Workforce: The European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions has created a database of best practices in age management. Approximately 200 international case studies are available on companies' practices in relation to older workers.

Link: Ageing Workforce, The European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions - database